A disk drive assembly including a disk drive, a bracket for containing the disk drive, and a damper for absorbing an impact transmitted to the disk drive. The damper may have a shape of a ring to encircle a corner of the disk drive and may be formed of an elastic material to buffer an impact transmitted between the disk drive and the bracket. Particularly, since the width and/or diameter of the damper may be formed with a minimized size, the damper is capable of providing sufficient buffering properties. In addition, the space occupied by the damper may further be minimized. Thus, since the space occupied by the disk drive assembly may be reduced, it is possible to favorably apply the assembly to a portable electronic device.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A disk drive assembly, comprising: a disk drive; and a damper formed in a ring structure, to enable the damper to encircle an edge of the disk drive, and formed of an elastic material to absorb an impact transmitted between an installation surface supporting the disk drive and the disk drive.
2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the edge is a corner of the disk drive.
3. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising an installation bracket for containing the disk drive as the installation surface.
4. The assembly of claim 3 , wherein the installation bracket envelopes corners of the disk drive.
5. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein a contact surface of the damper, which is in contact with the disk drive, has a width smaller than a maximum width or diameter of the damper.
6. The assembly of claim 5 , wherein the damper has a round cross section.
7. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the damper includes: a core body installed along a corner, as the edge, of the disk drive; and at least one contact portion formed on the surface of the core body, to be in direct contact with the disk drive, the contact portion having a width or diameter larger than the core body.
8. The assembly of claim 7 , wherein the at least one contact portion is formed on the core body at regular or irregular intervals.
9. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein a deformation is formed on a top surface and/or bottom surface of the disk drive adjacent to the edge and the damper includes an anchoring portion inserted into the deformation.
10. The assembly of claim 9 , wherein the edge is a corner of the disk drive.
11. A disk drive assembly, comprises: a disk drive; an installation bracket enveloping the disk drive, with a bottom surface and side walls of the installation bracket being in close proximity to a bottom surface and side surfaces of the disk drive, respectively; and a damper formed in a ring structure, to enable the damper to encircle an edge of the disk drive, and formed of an elastic material to absorb an impact between the disk drive and the installation bracket.
12. The assembly of claim 11 , wherein the edge is a corner of the disk drive.
13. The assembly of claim 12 , wherein the damper comprises: a core body formed in a ring structure and installed around the corner of the disk drive; and at least one contact portion, formed as a single body with the core body, with a diameter greater than the core body, to be in contact with the disk drive.
14. The assembly of claim 13 , wherein the at least one contact portion is positioned to be on the top and/or the bottom surface of the disk drive and adjacent to the corner of the disk drive.
15. The assembly of claim 14 , wherein the contact portions, positioned on the top and/or the bottom surface, are separated from each other.
16. The assembly of claim 12 , wherein a deformation is formed on the top surface and/or the bottom surface of the disk drive, adjacent to the corner of the disk drive, and the damper includes an anchoring portion inserted into the deformation, with the anchoring portion being formed in a shape of a cylinder having a rounded end portion.
17. A damper for absorbing an impact between an object and an installation surface supporting the object, comprising: a core body formed in a ring structure, with the core body enabled to encircle an edge of the object to keep in contact with an outer surface of the edge, the core body formed of an elastic material to absorb an impact between the object and the installation surface, wherein a contact surface of the core body, contactable with the object, has a width smaller than the maximum width or diameter of the core body.
18. The damper of claim 17 , wherein the core body has a round cross section.
19. A damper for absorbing an impact between an object and an installation surface supporting the object, comprising: a core body formed in a ring structure, with the core body enabled to encircle an edge of the object to keep in contact with an outer surface of the edge, the core body formed of an elastic material to absorb an impact between the object and the installation surface; and contact portions formed as a single body with the core body and having a diameter greater than the core body to be in direct contact with the object.
20. The damper of claim 19 , wherein the contact portions are formed on the core body at regular or irregular intervals.
21. A damper for absorbing an impact between an object and an installation surface supporting the object, comprising: a core body formed in a ring structure, with the core body enabled to encircle an edge of the object to keep in contact with an outer surface of the edge, the core body formed of an elastic material to absorb an impact between the object and the installation surface; and an anchoring portion in a shape of a cylinder having a rounded end, the anchoring portion formed perpendicular to the core body as a single body with the core body, contactable with a deformation in the edge of the object.
22. A disk drive dampening method, comprising: buffering surface interaction between a disk drive and a supporting surface through a dampening of an edge of the disk drive by keeping contact between a ring shaped damper and the disk drive along a ringed outer area of the edge, with surfaces of a core body of a damper being formed of an elastic material to provide dampening.
23. The method of claim 22 , wherein contact of the core body of the damper with the edge of the disk drive is intermittent.
24. A disk drive dampening method, comprising: buffering surface interaction between a disk drive and a supporting surface through a dampening of an edge of the disk drive by keeping contact between a ring shaped damper and the disk drive along a ringed outer area of the edge with an anchor of the damper, outside of a core body of the damper, with the core body being formed of an elastic material to provide dampening.
25. The method of claim 24 , wherein the anchor is inserted into deformations in the surface of the disk drive.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
June 19, 2006
July 14, 2009
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